78th Homeland Response Force
|allegiance= |branch=Army National Guard |type= Consequence Management |size= 3065 |garrison= |battles= |decorations= |disbanded= |commander1= COL Vernon Atkinson 2013-present |commander1_label= Commander |commander2= COL Michael Scholes Sr. 2010-2013 }} Georgia's former 78th Homeland Response Force now "'FEMA Region IV HRF / 201st RSG"', is a major command of the Georgia Army National Guard which has recently reflagged to 201st Regional Support Group (RSG) as of October 1, 2013. Formerly 78th Troop Command, it officially changed its unit designation on November 1, 2010. Once home-stationed in Decatur, it has, since Jan. 11, 2011, occupied the former headquarters of Naval Air Station Atlanta at what has become the Clay National Guard Center since late September 2009. As 2011 progressed, many of the units that make up the FEMA Region IV HRF have been relocated from their present armories to facilities at Clay. Mission The FEMA Region IV HRF / 201st RSG mission is to man, train and equip a homeland response force that can provide a response capability to assist civil authorities in saving lives and mitigating suffering in response to a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives incident. At the same time, the 78th must provide trained and ready troops to support overseas contingency operations. The HRFs are designed to foster a dialogue between regional first responders and other agencies. The FEMA Region IV HRF plays an important role at the regional level in terms of helping develop and build regional plans and in working with southeastern emergency managers to build a functioning and cohesive connective tissue at the regional level. One of the important concerns the HRF construction seeks to alleviate is the need to respond to multiple, simultaneous disasters. Through these HRFs, the Georgia Department of Defense has the federal capacity to command and control response to multiple disasters or emergencies throughout the nation, simultaneously. Deployments Since Sept.11, 2001, every unit assigned to the FEMA Region IV HRF has mobilized and deployed in support of Overseas Contingency Operations, serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and various military bases across the United States. On February 8, 2009, The 110th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion prepared to deploy to Iraq for a year-long mission. While there, the 110th acted as higher headquarters for active, Guard and Reserve units, while also upgrading and repairing the equipment destined for return stateside as part of the draw-down of forces from Iraq.http://gadod.net/index.php/news/ga-dod/archives/169-tifton-unit-mobilizes-for-iraq-deployment In Spring 2011, the 201st Regional Support Group-Agriculture Development Team 1 deployed to Southeastern Afghanistan. It is the first of three such Georgia Teams that are part of the National Guard Program to help the Afghans improve their farming and agribusiness techniques, thereby enhancing the country's agricultural economy and steering Afghan farmers away from growing poppy, which is used for making heroin. The 78th's 124th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment deployed for two weeks in January 2011 for overseas duty training in support of Yama Sakura 20, an annual joint command tabletop exercise, conducted by the Japan Ground Self Defense Force and US forces. This was the third time the 124th has participated. Units *201st Regional Support Group, Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Marietta. *170th Military Police Battalion, Decatur, Georgia. *190th Military Police Company, Kennesaw, Georgia *278th Military Police Company, Fort Gordon, Augusta *179th Military Police Company, Monroe, Georgia *178th Military Police Company, Savannah, Georgia *4th Civil Support Team, Marietta. *Joint Task Force 781 CERFP. *248th Medical Company, Marietta. *138th Chemical Company, Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Marietta. *877th Engineer Company, Fort Gordon, Augusta *202nd Explosive Ordnance Detachment, Marietta. *870 Engineer Detachment, Decatur, Georgia. *177th Topographical Engineer Company, Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Marietta. Other HRF locations There are ten HRFs in the National Guard throughout the nation, one per FEMA region. This allows closer and more familiar correspondence with regional and civilian responders. As a result, the reaction time to disasters will be much faster due to geographical locations. The 10 HRF (one per FEMA region) Guard Forces will consist of 577 personnel and be composed of: * C2 (brigade/battalion level) * Security Force * Search and Extraction * Decon * Medical * Fatality Search and Recovery Team References External links *Georgia Department of Defense Website *78th HRF Facebook Page *The Professional Guardsman Blog *Official Flickr Page *Georgia Guard Twitter Page *Georgia Guard Youtube Channel *Historical Society of the Georgia National Guard *Georgia Department of Defense 2010 Annual Report Category:National Guard of the United States